"Vorsprung durch Technik"

For our Hungarian friends, Zoli and Viktor, Austria is the country of gold standards against which all others are compared. In their view it has the cleanest cities, the purest air, the most delicious cakes, the most efficient transport system and the loveliest countryside.

Austria, as photographed by Zoli and Viktor whilst on a recent holiday

And, if these were not riches enough, Austria lays claim to Vienna, their idea of Mecca for contemporary design, stylishly dressed citizens and, at Figlmuller, the home of the original and best, of course, Wiener Schnitzel.

Fluent in the German language and well read in German literature, the Fiúk [the Hungarian for 'boys'] as we fondly refer to them, live by the Germanic motto of form and function. Have nothing unless it is designed beautifully, works perfectly and, preferably, is made in Austria. Their carefully arranged, spacious and airy apartment is testament to their beliefs.

spectacles as an art form in the study

Furnished in a minimalist style, painted with a restrained grey and white palette, the only nod to a Mediterranean influence is the shiny, lipstick red and chrome Italian coffee machine delivering Italian espressos in Italian cups with Germanic efficiency.

an Italian coffee machine stands in readiness in the kitchen of the apartment

And so when an outdoor film night was proposed, we suspected that the very latest in technological equipment would be employed to convert the boys' extensive terrace into an art cinema of which even the most discerning Austrian could be proud. We were not to be disappointed.


At the flick of a wrist, a white linen blind turned a wall of windows into a wide screen and under an inky black Budapest sky we watched 'The Secretary' in high definition.

a clip from 'The Secretary' with Maggie Gyllenhaal in the leading role

Later, and after the credits had finally rolled, a blazing fire was projected onto the screen in order that none should feel the cool of the night air as we talked into the small hours and marvelled at the wonders of modern technology.


Just last Friday evening, we hosted our return film night. This time an ancient white sheet shrouding a Victorian bookcase served as a makeshift screen. No matter, we thought, as surely Visconti's 'Death in Venice', based on the novel by Thomas Mann, would dazzle with its brilliance and its Germanic roots, if not its somewhat Heath Robinson production.

The End